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Desta Debalkie Atnafu

M

+251910477921

Desta.debalkie@bdu.edu.et/destad2a@gmail.com

Full name

Sex

Phone Number

E-mail (Institutional, if available)

 

Academic Degree

BSc/MPH

Academic Rank

Assistant Professor

At Bahir Dar University Since

2016

School

School Public Health Education and Services

Department

Health System Management & Health Economics

Field of Specialization

Health Management and Health Economics, Epidemiology and Population Health, PhD Cand.

Research Interest

  • Global disability and research
  • Disability inclusion and healthcare access
  • Healthcare equity
  • Healthcare financing and ; health insurance
  • One health in the context of disability inclusion
  • Disability and   WASH
  •  Health system and policy in disability inclusion
  • Healthcare project formulation and management
  • Monitoring and evaluation of healthcare programs
  • Digital health and disability
  • Quality of healthcare
  • Economic evaluations in health system
  • Healthcare coverage & utilization
  • Resource management for health
  • Implementation science and disability research
  • Healthcare program monitoring and evaluation.

Publication(s) [If any]+Link

42

 

  1. Atnafu DD, Kuper H, Mbazzi FB. Left behind in primary healthcare: A qualitative exploration of healthcare experiences of people with disabilities in Ethiopia. PLOS Global Public Health. 2025 Sep 26;5(9):e0005147.
  2. Abere TM, Atnafu DD, Mulu Y. Self-referral and associated factors among patients attending adult outpatient departments in Debre tabor general hospital, North West Ethiopia. BMC health services research. 2021 Jun 28;21(1):607.
  3. Guaide HA, Anagaw TF, Fenta ET, Atnafu DD. A systematic literature review on determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance globally. Ethiopian Medical Journal. 2023 Aug 4;61(3):265-80.
  4. Misgana S, Asemahagn MA, Atnafu DD, Anagaw TF. Incidence of stroke and its predictors among hypertensive patients in Felege Hiwot comprehensive specialized hospital, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, a retrospective follow-up study. European Journal of Medical Research. 2023 Jul 10;28(1):227.
  5. Tebabal B, Anagaw TF, Adamu A, Atnafu DD. Factors influencing blood donation practice among health care providers of public hospitals in Bahir Dar City, North West Ethiopia: a case control study. Journal of Blood Medicine. 2023 Dec 31:487-98.
  6. Shitu BF, Atnafu DD, Agumas Y. Public school adolescents had increased odds of being willing to uptake HPV vaccinations owing to sociodemographic and healthcare access features in bahir dar city, ethiopia. BioMed Research International. 2023;2023(1):2663815.
  7. Atnafu DD, Alemu YA. Multidimensional determinants of willingness to pay for community-based health insurance in Ethiopia and its implication towards universal health coverage: A narrative synthesis. Preventive Medicine Reports. 2023 Dec 1;36:102474.
  8. Marye DM, Debalkie Atnafu D, Belayneh M, Takele Alemu A. User fee exemption policy significantly improved adherence to maternal health service utilization in Bahir dar city, Northwest Ethiopia: a comparative cross-sectional study. ClinicoEconomics and Outcomes Research. 2023 Dec 31:775-85.
  9. Atnafu DD, Khatri R, Assefa Y. Drivers of cervical cancer prevention and management in sub-Saharan Africa: a qualitative synthesis of mixed studies. Health Research Policy and Systems. 2024 Feb 8;22(1):21.
  10. Meshesha NA, Atnafu DD, Hussien M, Tizie SB, Dube GN, Bitacha GK. Internet use, spatial variation and its determinants among reproductive age women in Ethiopia. BMC Public Health. 2024 Sep 2;24(1):2374.
  11. Atnafu DD, Ketemaw A, Menber Y, Wassihun Y, Guadie HA. Cooking smoke (household air pollution) exposure status of households in Ethiopia: A further analysis based on 2016 DHS data. Ethiopian Journal of Health Development. 2021 Nov 25;35(3).
  12. Debalkie Atnafu D, Bannink Mbazzi F, Yitayal M, Kuper H. Does life expectancy vary by disability status in LMICs?: A systematic review and meta-analysis. African Journal of Disability. 2025 Mar 12;14:1514.
  13. Oumer N, Atnafu DD, Worku GT, Tsehay AK. Determinants of Multi-drug resistant Tuberculosis in four treatment centers of Eastern Amhara, Ethiopia: A case-control study. The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries. 2021 May 31;15(05):687-95.
  14. Guadie HA, Kindie A, Derseh HA, Atnafu DD. Unlocking health insights: exploring intention to adopt district health information systems in Bahir Dar City, northwest Ethiopia. Frontiers in Digital Health. 2025 Feb 25;7:1449510.
  15. Fenta Abebe A, Atnafu DD, Guadie HA. Half of the mothers had poor delivery referral practices in public hospitals of Bahir Dar City Northwest, Ethiopia. Frontiers in Public Health. 2025 Feb 26;13:1452254.
  16. Atnafu DD, Tilahun H, Alemu YM. Community-based health insurance and healthcare service utilisation, North-West, Ethiopia: a comparative, cross-sectional study. BMJ open. 2018 Aug 1;8(8):e019613.
  17. Ayichew G, Atnafu DD, Hussein M, Alemu AT. Health workers’ motivation was significantly higher in private hospitals than public hospitals influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors in Northwest Ethiopia. Frontiers in Public Health. 2025 May 12;13:1452229.
  18. Hiwot Tilahun, Desta Debalkie Atnafu, Geta Asrade, Amare Minyihun, Yihun Mulugeta Alemu. Effect of Mutual Health Insurance on Health Service Utilization and Factors for Health Care Utilization in South Achefer District, North West, Ethiopia. Health Economics Review. 2018; 8:15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13561-018-0200-z 
  19. Solomon Kassahun., Gashaw Andargie., Desta Debalkie Atnafu. Willingness to join a village-based health insurance scheme (Iddir) in Dessie town, Ethiopia. Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2018; 32(4):46-53. 
  20. Desta Debalkie Atnafu, Abera Kumie. Healthcare Waste Composition and Generation Rate in Menellik II Referral Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A Cross Sectional Study. International Journal of Sustainability Management and Information Technologies. 2017; 3(2): 10-19. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsmit.20170302.11 
  21. Desta Debalkie Atnafu, Abera Kumie .Healthcare Waste Management: The Current Issue in Menellik II Referral Hospital, Ethiopia. Current World Environment. 2017; 12(1):42-52. doi.org/10.12944/CWE.12.1.06 
  22. Tseganesh Gedilu , Desta Debalkie Atnafu, Tesfaye Setegn. Prevalence and Determinants of Institutional Delivery Service up take among Women in Farta District, Northwest Ethiopia. J Nurs Care. 2018; 7(2). doi:10.4172/2167-1168.1000449 
  23. Shewangizaw Bereda, Desta Debalkie Atnafu. Work Performance and Associated Factors among Employees in Amhara National Regional State Health Bureau, Bahir Dar, Northwest Ethiopia. Int J Econ Manag Sci. 2018;7(2). doi: 10.4172/2162-6359.1000511 
  24. Bekele Atinafu Muluneh, Desta Debalkie Atnafu, Belaynew Wassie. Predictors of cervical cancer screening service utilization among commercial sex workers in North West Ethiopia: A case-control study. BMC-Women’s Health.2019;19:162. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-019-0862-7 
  25. Getasew Tadesse, Desta Debalkie Atnafu , Asmamaw Ketemaw, Yibeltal Alemu. Determinants of enrollment decision in the community based health insurance, North West Ethiopia: A case control study. BMC-Globalization and Health.2020;16(4). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-019-0535-1  
  26. Ketemaw et al. Factors associated with institutional delivery in Ethiopia: a cross sectional study. BMC-Health Services Research.2020; 20:266. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05096-7 
  27. Fikadu Ayalew, Desta Debalkie Atnafu, Melkamu Bedimo and Kebadnew Mulatu. Determinants of community-led ivermectin treatment adherence for onchocerciasis control in Western Ethiopia: a case-control study. BMC-Tropical Medicine and Public Health.2020; 48:22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-020-00210-1 
  28. Ayenew Takele Alemu, Ayinengida Adamu Walle, Desta Debalkie Atnafu. Quality of Pediatric Healthcare Services and Associated Factors in Felege-Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, North-West Ethiopia: Parental Perception. Patient preference and adherence.2020;14:1649-1658. 
  29. Birhanu Berihun, Desta Debalkie Atnafu, and Getachew Sitotaw.Willingnes to Use Electronic Medical Record (EMR) System in Healthcare Facilities of Bahir Dar City, Northwest Ethiopia. Hindawi-BioMed Research International.2020 .https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/3827328 
  30. Joseph L Dieleman etal. Health sector spending and spending on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, and development assistance for health: progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30608-5 
  31. LBD Double Burden of Malnutrition Collaborators. Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 200 and 2017. Nature Medicine. S 
  32. GBD 2019 Risk Factors Collaborators. Global burden of 87 risk factors in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 
  33. GBD 2019 Diseases and Injuries Collaborators. Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 
  34. GBD 2019 Viewpoint Collaborators. Five insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 
  35. Haile LM, Kamenov K, Briant PS, Orji AU, Steinmetz JD, Abdoli A, Abdollahi M, Abu-Gharbieh E, Afshin A, Ahmed H, Rashid TA. Hearing loss prevalence and years lived with disability, 1990–2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet. 2021 Mar 13;397(10278):996-1009.
  36. Kendrick PJ, Reitsma MB, Abbasi-Kangevari M, Abdoli A, Abdollahi M, Abedi A, Abhilash ES, Aboyans V, Adebayo OM, Advani SM, Ahinkorah BO. Spatial, temporal, and demographic patterns in prevalence of chewing tobacco use in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet Public Health. 2021 Jul 1;6(7):e482-99.
  37. Steinmetz JD, Bourne RR, Briant PS, Flaxman SR, Taylor HR, Jonas JB, Abdoli AA, Abrha WA, Abualhasan A, Abu-Gharbieh EG, Adal TG. Causes of blindness and vision impairment in 2020 and trends over 30 years, and prevalence of avoidable blindness in relation to VISION 2020: the Right to Sight: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. The Lancet Global Health. 2021 Feb 1;9(2):e144-60.
  38. Jahagirdar D, Walters MK, Novotney A, Brewer ED, Frank TD, Carter A, Biehl MH, Abbastabar H, Abhilash ES, Abu-Gharbieh E, Abu-Raddad LJ. Global, regional, and national sex-specific burden and control of the HIV epidemic, 1990–2019, for 204 countries and territories: the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019. The Lancet HIV. 2021 Oct 1;8(10):e633-51.
  39. Cicero AF. Tracking development assistance for health and for COVID-19: a review of development assistance, government, out-of-pocket, and other private spending on health for 204 countries and territories, 1990-2050. The Lancet. 2021;398(10308):1317-43.
  40. Molokhia M, Wang Y, GBD 2019 Under-5 Mortality Collaborators. Global, regional, and national progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 for neonatal and child health: all-cause and cause-specific mortality findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet. 2021 Sep 4;398(10303):870-905.

Under Review

  1. Are primary healthcare facilities in Ethiopia complying with accessibility standards?: An accessibility audit of health facilities in Bahir Dar City
  2. Inequalities in Health and Healthcare Utilization Among People with Disabilities in Ethiopia: Evidence from the 2021/22 Ethiopian Socio-Economic Panel Surve.
  3. Desta Debalkie Atnafu, Hannah Kuper, Femke Bannink Mbazzi. Leaving No One Behind: Access to Eye Healthcare Service Challenges in Ethiopia; A Qualitative Synthesis Using Levesque Healthcare Access Framework. BMC Health Service Research.

Mega Research, Role [If any]

PI  - Perinatal healthy lifestyle intervention and pregnancy-induced

hypertension: Epidemiologic and economic burdens, contextual

factors, healthcare disparities, efficiency and quality of care in

West Gojjam Ethiopia: A clustered randomized community

Trial.

Project(s), Role [If any]

  1. Promotion of enrolment to community-based health insurance among patients who come for health services.
  2. Infection prevention & patient safety (IPPS) in Felege-Hiwot referral hospital, healthcare facilities of Mecha district and Tibebe-Ghion specialized hospital.
  3. Training for Nurses and health extension workers to increase BCG vaccine coverage in Meshenti town.
  4. Sensitization on HIV/ AIDS awareness & HCT testing for students living with disability in Bahir Dar University.